The Chandra Cygnus OB2 Legacy Survey

The Chandra Cygnus OB2 Legacy Survey is a 1.08 Ms Chandra survey of a 1 square degree region centered on the massive Cygnus OB2 association. With a uniform and deep exposure expected to be complete to 1 solar mass, the survey is envisaged to provide the the most comprehensive view of a massive, young star cluster.

Combined with deep optical and near-IR photometry, as well as Spitzer mid-IR and Herschel far-IR imaging, the Chandra Legacy Survey of Cygnus OB2 will provide an invaluable dataset for studies of young stars and disks, and the massive associations in which they typically reside. In addition, a planned deep spectroscopic survey will obtain spectral classifications and radial velocities for a large fraction of the sample, allowing the mass-dependent dynamics of the cluster to be studied in detail.

The survey took data over the period 2010 January 25th - March 10th using the ACIS-I imager on the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The 36-pointing Chandra Cygnus OB2 survey area shown overlaid on IPHAS H-Alpha (left) and Spitzer IRAC 8um (right) images of the Cygnus OB2 association. Each image is approximately 1.5 x 1.5 degrees, with north up and east to the left. The survey area is approximately 1 x 1 degree.